Festuca glauca Azurit

Description

Festuca glauca ‘Azurit’ – blue fescue

Botanical name: Festuca glauca ‘Azurit’
Common names: Blue fescue
Family: Poaceae (grass family)
Plant type: Evergreen grass
Habit: Compact, dome-shaped, tuft-forming
Pot size: 2–3 litre pot
Eventual size: Approx. 25–30cm tall × 30cm spread
Foliage: Fine, needle-like, intense silvery-blue foliage forming a neat dome; evergreen
Flowers: Slim buff flower spikes in summer, held just above the foliage
Scent: Not scented
Aspect / light: Full sun
Soil: Sharply drained; poor, dry; dislikes wet; any pH
Hardiness: RHS H6 (hardy, to about −20°C); USDA zones 4–8
Exposure: Open, hot, dry, sunny
Native range: Species native to Europe
Toxicity / pet & child safety: Generally considered non-toxic to people and pets

Festuca glauca ‘Azurit’ is a compact blue fescue forming neat domes of fine, needle-like silvery-blue foliage. Intensely coloured and drought-tolerant, it is superb for gravel, edging, rockeries and containers.

GardenAdvice notes

A compact, evergreen grass grown for its remarkable intense silvery-blue foliage, ‘Azurit’ forms tidy, spiky domes that hold their colour year-round. It thrives in hot, dry, sharply drained positions and is one of the best small grasses for a splash of cool blue in gravel gardens, containers and the front of sunny borders.

Growing & planting

Plant in spring in sharply drained, poor soil in full sun — the blue colour is most intense in bright light and lean, dry conditions, and it dislikes rich, wet soil. Improve heavy ground with grit. Space about 30cm apart. It is ideal in gravel, rockeries and containers.

Care & maintenance

Low-maintenance. Comb out dead leaves with gloved fingers in spring rather than cutting it hard, and trim off faded flower spikes. Blue fescue is naturally short-lived and tends to die out in the centre after a few years, so lift, divide and replant, or replace, every two to three years to keep it looking fresh.

Propagation

• Division: Lift and divide clumps in spring.
• Seed: Sow seed in spring, though named forms are best from division.

Pests & diseases

Generally trouble-free. Its main enemy is winter wet, which causes rot, and old plants go bare in the middle. Sharp drainage and regular division keep it healthy.

Uses in the garden

Superb in gravel and Mediterranean-style gardens, rockeries, edging, the front of sunny borders and in containers, planted in groups for a striking blue haze.

Wildlife value

The summer flower spikes offer minor value to insects; its main role is ornamental, though the tufts give ground-level cover.

Toxicity & safety

Blue fescue is generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets.

GardenAdvice tip

The bluest colour comes from full sun and poor, sharply drained soil — pamper it with rich or damp ground and it turns greener and rots. Blue fescue is also naturally short-lived, so the trick to keeping a good display is to lift and divide it every couple of years, discarding the dead middle and replanting the fresh outer pieces.

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